Casualty care during the First World War: The experience of the Royal Navy

War in History

Volumn 7, Issue 2, 2000, Pages 154-179

  Herrick, Claire E J ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 33846526882     PISSN: 09683445     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/096834450000700202     Document Type: Review

References (121)

1. S. Hynes, The Soldiers' Tale: Bearing Witness to Modem War (London, 1997)
2. G. Noon, 'The Treatment of Casualties in the Great War', in P. Griffith (ed.), British Fighting Methods in the Great War (London, 1996)
3. for a summary of such approaches, see R. Cooter, 'War and Modern Medicine', in W.F. Bynum and R. Porter, eds, Companion Encyclopaedia of the History of Medicine (London, 1993), II, pp. 1536-73
4. J.S. Haller, From Farmcarts to Fords: A History of the Military Ambulance, 1790-1925 (Carbondale and Edwardsville, IL, 1992)
5. Sir A.D. Fripp, 'Experiences of a Civilian Among the Naval Medical Service in War', Guys Hospital Report: War Memorial Number LXX (1922), p. 241
6. Deputy Surgeon-General A. Gascoigne Wildey, 'Modern Naval Surgery', Medical Annual (1915), p. 684. This can be seen in accounts by medical men who served with the Navy prior to the war
7. e.g O.W. Andrews, Seamarks and Landmarks: Being Leaves from the Log of Surgeon Captain O.W. Andrews, C.B.E., R.N. (London, 1927)
8. T.T. Jeans, Reminiscences of a Naval Surgeon (London, 1927)
9. Fleet Surgeon D. Walker Hewitt, 'The Treatment of Wounded in Naval Warfare', British Medical Journal (BMJ), 22 Aug. 1914, p. 357
10. J.R. Muir, Years of Endurance (London, 1936), p. 241
11. Capt. A. W. Barrett, 'Lessons to be Learned by Regimental Officers from the Russo-Japanese War', Journal of the Royal United Services Institution IX (1907), pp. 797-823
12. D. K. Brown, 'The Russo-Japanese War as Perceived by the Royal Navy', War Studies Journal II (1997), pp. 33-44
13. D. Walder, The Short Victorious War: The Russo-Japanese Conflict, 1904-5 (Newton Abbot, 1974), described it as 'the most observed, chronicled, and discussed conflict until the First World War' (p. 9)
14. The Surgical and Medical History of the Naval War Between Japan and China During 1894-5: Translated from the Original Report Under the Direction of Baron Saneyoshi & S. Suzuki (Tokyo, 1901); The Surgical and Medical History of the Naval War Between Japan and Russia During 1904-05 (Tokyo, 1911)
15. For a summary of what the medical service of the army learnt from the experience of the Russo-Japanese War, see C.E.J. Herrick, 'The Conquest of the "Silent Foe": British and American Military Medical Reform Rhetoric and the Russo-Japanese War', in R. Cooter and M. Harrison, eds, Medicine and the Management of Modern Warfare (forthcoming)
16. Naval War Between Japan and China, p. 4. This claimed that there had been no previous account 'of the treatment of wounded on ships since the modern revolution in naval warfare'
17. Naval War Between Japan and Russia, p. 556
18. For a discussion of medical ideas on septic infection of wounds in the early years of the twentieth century, see G.E.J. Herrick, 'Of War and Wounds: The Propaganda, Politics and Experience of Medicine in the First World War on the Western Front' (PhD thesis, University of Manchester, 1996), pp. 196-215
19. See Dr P. Barthelemy, 'First Aid Stations and Transportation of the Wounded in Naval Battle', United States Naval Medical Bulletin IX (1915), pp. 454-67
20. B. Thomasuri, 'Distributing Stations on Board Ship in War-Time', Journal of the Royal Naval Medical Service (JRNMS) I (1915), p. 89. Trans
21. Quoted in Barthelemy, 'First Aid Stations', p. 454
22. Hewitt, 'Naval Warfare', p. 357
23. Louis H. Roddis, A Short History of Nautical Medicine (New York and London, 1941), p. 78
24. For an account of prewar instructions regarding collection and treatment of wounded, see Fleet Surgeon W.J. Colborne, 'Arrangements for Dealing with Wounded on Board Ship', JRNMS I (1915), pp. 76-80
25. Sir G. Turner, Unorthodox Reminiscences (London, 1931), p. 323
26. Fripp, 'Experiences', p. 241
27. Air Marshall Sir P. Livingston, Fringe of the Clouds: The Story of an RAF Doctor (London, 1962), p. 55
28. For example, Surgeon Probationer Douglas G.P. Bell was recommended for the Victoria Gross for amputating a limb 'single-handed in the dark'; see Fleet Annual (1917), p. 104. For this he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
29. Fleet Surgeon C.W. Bunton, 'Dressing Stations in Large Ships and the Surgical Work Possible During and After an Action', JRNMS III (1917), argued that 'the whole subject is one of shipbuilding and that the site of dressing stations might be more seriously considered whilst a ship is in the earlier stages of construction' (p. 150)
30. Fleet Surgeon E.A. Penfold, 'A Battleship in Action', JRNMS III (1917), p. 44
31. According to Surgeon Probationer W. S. Sykes, 'Some Experiences of a Surgeon Probationer', JRNMS III (1917), 'consultations and treatment take place on the upper deck or down in the duffel suit store... which is dark, cold, damp and very small' (p. 333)
32. See also Surgeon Probationer S.H. Waddy, 'Twelve Months in a T.B.D.', JRNMS IV (1918), pp. 313-17
33. Sykes, 'Surgeon Probationer', p. 336
34. Bunton, 'Dressing Stations', p. 149
35. Fleet Surgeon W.J. Colborne, 'Hints for Medical Officers of the Royal Navy', pt 2, JRNMS II (1916), p. 365
36. Fleet Surgeon A.C. Bean, 'Action Stations in Time of War (in a Battleship of the King Edward VII Class)', JRNMS I (1915), p. 80
37. Fleet Surgeon P.L. Crosbie and Commander C.E. Vinning, 'A Candle Lamp for Use During Action', JRNMS III (1917), pp. 486-7
38. One example of this was in the provision of mobile surgical teams for casualty clearing stations in the latter half of the war on the Western Front to supplement existing personnel following heavy casualties in action. Contemporary Medical Archives Centre, Wellcome Institute (CMAC), RAMC 1667, Draft History of No. 6 CCS; RAMC 1101, Diary of Captain H. Upcott, 25 Oct. 1916, p. 72
39. Admiralty Order 1946, 'The Treatment of Wounded on Board HM Ships During and After Action' (MD.8123/15-12.11.1915), repr. in JRNMS II (1916), p. 133. This order replaced MD259/1905, issued on 24 May 1905
40. CQI, 'Studies in the Theory of Naval Tactics', pt 2, Naval Review I (1913), pp. 146-67
41. According to Staff Surgeon J. McAllister Holmes, 'The Treatment and Disposal of the Wounded in a Light Cruiser During the Battle of Jutland', JRNMS II (1916), the wounded were removed 'on account of the bad moral effect the presence of wounded men would have on the remainder' (p. 428)
42. Temporary Surgeon T. Beaton, 'The Psychoses and Psycho-Neuroses', JRNMS VI (1920), described how the nature of battle at sea protected the sailor from some of the worst forms of hysterical disorder, like shellshock and paralysis, which soldiers on the battlefield commonly suffered from (p. 52)
43. For a study of the risks taken by army medical officers during the war, see I, Whitehead, 'Not a Doctor's Work? The Role of the British Regimental Medical Officer in the Field', in H. Cecil and P. Liddle, eds, Fating Armageddon (London, 1996), pp. 466-74
44. Fleet Surgeon J.R. Muir, The North Sea Action of January 24', JRNMS I (1915), p. 155
45. J. Magill, The "First Field Dressing" ', Red Cross (1914), pp. 61-2
46. Surgeon R.J.G. Parnell, "The Vital Importance of Efficient Training of Naval Ratings in First-Aid', JRNMS I (1915), p. 441
47. Deputy Surgeon-General R. Hill and Fleet Surgeon E.A. Penfold, "The Service Afloat', BMJ 28 April 1917, p. 541
48. Parnell, 'First-Aid', pp. 440-46
49. Temporary Surgeon J.A. Fairer, 'Work in the Grand Fleet', JRNMS IV (1918), p. 78
50. According to The Medical Service of the Royal Navy', Times History of the War IX (1916), These lectures gave the men a new interest and helped to brighten the monotony of the long winter evenings' (p. 253)
51. Fleet Surgeon A. Maclean and Fleet Surgeon H.E.R. Stephens, 'Surgical Experiences in the Battle of Jutland', JRNMS II (1916), p. 422
52. Fleet Surgeon J.R. Muir, 'Hints for the Use of Medical Officers in Action', JRNMS II (1916), p. 420
53. Penfold, 'Action', p. 45
54. Muir, 'Hints', p. 409
55. For discussions of the Admiralty attitude towards science, see J.K. Gusewelle, 'Science and the Admiralty During World War I: The Case of the BIR', in Gerald Jordan, ed., Naval Warfare in the Twentieth Century, 1900-1945: Essays in Honour of Arthur Marder (London, 1977), pp. 103-17
56. 'The Progress of the World: The Admiralty and Science', Review of Reviews LII (1915), p. 105
57. Surgeon Lieutenant Commander H.E.R. Stephens, 'Immediate Surgery in Fighting Ships', JRNMS VII (1921), p. 141
58. IWM, 76/152/1, The Unofficial Journal of Midshipman R.G. Lowry, R.N., 1914-16'. Lowry's ship, HMS Lord Nelson, was in action 28 times between 31 July 1914 and 22 June 1916
59. Bean, 'Action Stations', p. 80
60. H.W. Fawcett, ed., The Fighting at Jutland. The Personal Experiences of Sixty Officers and Men of the British Fleet (Glasgow, 1920), narrative of the medical officer on board HMS Princess Royal (p. 418)
61. Colborne, 'Arrangements', p. 77
62. Fleet Surgeon G.E. Macleod, 'A Galvanised-Iron Cupboard for First Aid Dressings as a Permanent Fitting in Turrets and Casemates', JRNMS I (1915), p. 351
63. Fleet Surgeon F.C.B. Gittings, 'First-Aid Outfits: Lockers and Tins for Dressings', JRNMS IV (1918), p. 328
64. Fawcett, Jutland, p. 422
65. Muir, 'North Sea Action', p. 157
66. Andrews, Seamarks, p. 301
67. D.P.G. Bell, 'The Battle of Jutland', University of Durham College of Medicine Gazette XVII (1917), p. 59
68. Darby, 'Report', p. 229
69. Maclean and Stephens, 'Surgical Experiences', p. 423
70. Holmes, 'Treatment and Disposal', p. 428
71. Wildey, 'Modern Naval Surgery', p. 687. Naval War Between Japan and China had discussed wounds inflicted by 'indirect shells', i.e. iron and wooden splinters caused by shell fire (p. 268)
72. Fleet Surgeon Ch. L.W. Bunton, 'Wounded Treated at the Royal Naval Hospital, Shotley', JRNMS I (1915), p. 16
73. Hayward, HMS Tiger at Bay: A Sailor's Memoir (London, 1977), p. 144
74. Sir William Watson Cheyne, 'An Address on the Treatment of Wounds in War', Lancet, 21 Nov. 1914, p. 1185
75. Sir A.W. May, "The Medical Department of the Royal Navy', British Journal of Surgery V (1916-17), p. 6
76. 'The War: The Royal Naval Medical Service in Action', Lancet, 16 Oct. 1916, p. 598
77. B. Pick, R.A. Rankine and J. Lambert, 'Shell Wounds in Modern Naval Warfare', Lancet, 24 Oct. 1914, p. 985
78. Muir, Years of Endurance, p. 246
79. Darby worked in temperatures of 105d̀F for two hours during the engagement with the Emden: 'Report', p. 23
80. Fleet Surgeon W.K. Hopkins, 'The Naval Action off Heligoland', JRNMS I (1915), p. 26
81. J.G. Kelly, 'Treatment of the Wounded on Board HMS Tiger during the Naval Action of January 24th', Lancet, 8 May 1915, p. 962
82. R.J. Willan, 'A Preliminary Notes on Pieces of Clothing Embedded in War Wounds', Lancet, 25 Nov. 1916, pp. 901-2
83. Fawcett, Jutland, 'The Effect of a Direct Hit on "Q" Turret, HMS Lion, Recorded by the Gunnery Officer', p. 90
84. Lachlan Fraser, 'Treatment of Wounds Received in Naval Actions', JRNMS II (1916), referred to the ship HMS B, where 'almost the first shell struck the sick bay, killing the surgeon probationer, wounding the sick berth steward... and destroying most of the dressings' (p. 437)
85. Pannett, 'Modern Warfare', p. 466
86. 'The War: Total Casualties; Naval Casualties', BMJ 30 Nov. 1918, p. 612
87. For an account of the history and evolution of the casualty clearing stations, see Col. W.R.P. Goodwin, 'The Casualty Clearing Station as a Working Unit in the Field', Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corp XXX (1919), pp. 42-57
88. Hill and Penfold, 'Service Afloat', p. 541
89. Bunton, 'Dressings Stations' (p. 154)
90. Temporary Surgeon T.L. Wyndham, 'The Administration of Anaesthetics', JRNMS & II (1916), p. 25
91. Temporary Fleet Surgeon C.W. Morris, 'Local Anaesthesia', JRNMS II (1916), p. 51
92. Stephens, 'Surgery', p. 150
93. Temporary Surgeon Lieutenant W.M. Fairlie, 'Poisoning by Nitrous Gases', JRNMS VI (1920), p. 69
94. Staff Surgeon A.B. Marsh, 'Medical Accounts of Action in the Adriatic, May 15, 1917', JRNMS IV (1918), p. 377
95. Bunton, 'Shotley', p. 22
96. Surgeon Cecil C. Symons, 'Poisoning by Gases from Explosives', JKNMS II (1916), pp. 513-16
97. There was reputed to be little in the way of evidence of the use of poisonous gases by the Germans in naval warfare, according to Fairlie, 'Poisoning', p. 66, although Father T.F. Bradley, serving on HMS Tiger at the time of the Battle of Jutland, referred to the discovery of small shells thought to contain asphyxiating gases which were sent away to the authorities for analysis: IWM, 91/38/1
98. Fleet Surgeon W.H.S. Stalkart, 'Notes on Various Solutions Used in the Treatment of Wounds', JKNMS II (1916), p. 216
99. Surgeon H.E.R. Stephens, 'The Use of Hypochlorous Acid as an Antiseptic in the Naval Medical Service', JRNMS I (1915), p. 408
100. Holmes dressed some cases with iodine, some with 1 in 40 carbolic acid, and some with borsal, but due to the evacuation of the cases remarked, 'I cannot say which was the best method'. 'Treatment and Disposal of Wounded': p. 434
101. Acting Staff Surgeon A. Vavasour Elder, 'A Note on Hospital Ships and Their Functions', JKNMS II (1916), pp. 443-8
102. W.M. Ash and C.P.G. Wakley, 'A Report on the Casualties from the Jutland Coast Action Received at Royal Naval Hospital, South Queensferry', Lancet, 8 July 1916, p. 57
103. Surgeon Vice-Admiral Sir J. Watt, "The Burns of Seafarers Under Oars, Sail and Steam', Injury XII (1980), pp. 69-81
104. For a discussion of the issues surrounding the treatment of disabled soldiers, see C. E.J. Herrick, 'The Broken Soldier, the Bonesetter and the Medical Profession: Manipulating Identities during the First World War', in B. O. Taithe and T. Thornton, eds, War: Identities in Conflict, 1400-2000 (Stroud, 1998), pp. 73-92
105. Temporary Surgeon C.P.G. Wakeley, 'Skin-Grafting in the Treatment of Burns', Lancet, 25 May 1918, p. 737
106. Deputy Surgeon-General G.L. Cheatle, 'Surgery', BMJ, 28 April 1917, p. 536
107. One of the consultant surgeons obtained a grant of £500 to purchase apparatus for this purpose for use at Chatham: Turner, Reminiscences, p. 325
108. Nursing sisters were also specially trained for this work: see K. Harland, Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (London, 1990), p. 29
109. 'Treatment of Burns and Scalds in the Navy', Lancet, 3 Feb. 1917, pp. 201-2
110. Fleet Surgeon H. Hunt, 'The Practical Use of Ambrine in the Treatment of Burns', JRNMS III (1917), pp. 296-301
111. Waddy, 'T.B.D.', p. 314
112. An article appeared in The Times, 30 May 1916, p. 9, col.a, which discussed ship repair, and was interestingly titled 'Ships in Sick Bay'
113. Jeans, Reminiscences, p. 205
114. 'Care of G.P.O.', University of Durham College of Medicine Gazette XVI (1916), p. 54
115. Surgeon Commander J. McAllister Holmes, 'Can the Invaliding Wastage of the Royal Navy Be Diminished by the More Thorough Application of the Methods of Sir Robert Jones to Orthopaedics', JRNMS IX (1923), pp. 113-19
116. Fleet Surgeon C. Marsh Beadnell, 'A Naval Medical Officer's Impressions of a Visit to the Trenches', JRNMS III (1917), pp. 91-107, 210-20
117. Temporary Surgeon-General G.R. Turner, 'A Visit to Some Hospital and Casualty Clearing Stations in France', JRNMS IV (1918), pp. 79-87
118. 'Editorial: United Services Medical Society - Proposed Amalgamation With the Royal Society of Medicine', JRNMS V (1919), pp. 320-1
119. Public Record Office, ADM/101/319, Medical Officer's Journal, HMS Kent, 3 Oct.- 31 Dec. 1914
120. For a discussion of the popular imagery surrounding Jutland, see S. Sillars, Art and Survival in First World War Britain (New York, 1987), ch. 3, 'Jutland', pp. 24-47
121. 'Surgeons in Sea Fights', p. 3, col. a